Welcome to Burlesque
by anotherbadpxem
Summary: Anna is from a small town, working a dead-end job trying to achieve her dream. In the spur of the moment, she packs her stuff and leaves for L.A., where she meets Kristoff - the cute bartender at a Burlesque Lounge - but will her engagement get in the way?
1. Chapter 1

"You're going to tell him that you need your money now, and then you're going to quit," Anna muttered to herself, cleaning the bar in small, circular motions. There was no need for her to mutter, the bar was empty - as always - but talking to herself in any tone above a mutter seemed crazy. Talking to yourself at all is crazy, but in a small town, you take what company you can get. It turns out that yourself is the best company you'll ever have.  
"You can do this, Anna. There's some feistiness in you somewhere, you'll just have to dig a little to find it…"

Her reverie was interrupted by a small chime that rang from a bell above the door, signalling the arrival of a customer, or a deadbeat boss returning from his lunch break.  
"Hey, Mr Wilson! I really need my money today," Anna called as he strode across the room, almost surprised at the authority in her voice until she added a shaky "please" in hesitation. The tall man stopped dead, scaring the girl slightly. She was twenty and could hold her own most times, but her boss could easily overpower her.  
"You'll get your money, Annie," he spoke flatly, continuing to storm towards his office.  
"It's Anna," the redhead forced a smile. "And I really need that money now, I - I quit!"  
Mr Wilson simply laughed, walking into his office. Before the door closed, he called out to her. "Annie's _much_ prettier. Get back to work."

"Annie. That's a new one," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "If he thinks I'm staying, he's got another thing coming."  
As petite as she was, Anna stormed over to the cash register, taking the money that she was owed. With a gleam of pure determination taking over her blue eyes, Anna walked out of the diner for the last time.

It didn't take her long to rush back to her apartment and pack what little she owned; Anna made a habit of only buying things she needed and saving the rest of her money for this exact moment.

"I'm going to L.A.!" The words were almost incoherent, mixing with excitement and giggles as they left her lips.

The journey to Los Angeles wasn't pleasant to say the least - but, finally, Anna had arrived. And this was where her dream began. Everything was how she imagined it; letters spelling out "Hollywood" in capitals everywhere, a word had never looked so magical; the sun shining down as if the state had a constant spotlight and the people walking down the street either looked insanely rich, or like they worked for the insanely rich.

And so, Anna began the job hunt, practically radiating positivity. Positivity which didn't last as long as she had hoped it would.  
"I know my vocals need some work, but I have talent there, I can do this," she pleaded at another audition which - judging by the panel's faces - didn't go as well as she originally had thought. The look on their faces told the redhead all she needed to know. Defeated, she turned on her heel and left the building.

The sun had set now and the town of dreams seemed less magical to Anna as she walked down a dark street that she didn't even know the name of.

Then the lights hit her.  
They were bright and colourful and they called out to her, spelling out the words '_Burlesque Lounge_'. The wonder of the building drew her towards the door, Anna barely having anything to say in the matter, though she didn't attempt to protest.  
"Always nice to see a new face here. That'll be twenty bucks," an encouraging doorman stated, causing Anna to jolt out of her daydream.  
"What is this place?"  
"Oh, darling, only the best Burlesque Lounge in Hollywood," he answered with a smile and a wink.  
"What is that? Like some sort of strip club?" Anna asked innocently, peering into the main room where a group of beautiful girls gathered on a stage. Casting her gaze back to the doorman, he was disgusted by the words that had just came tumbling out of her mouth. Eventually he seemed to let it go, his features softening a bit.  
"Are you coming in or not? I have a club to fill with or without you, honey." He raised an eyebrow at her until she handed over the entry money. "Welcome to Burlesque."

Alone and slightly nervous, Anna made her way into the main room and towards the bar, hoping to gain some liquid confidence.  
"What can I get you?" A tall, blond bartender asked her. 'Tall' could actually be considered an understatement, with a muscular build that backed it up.  
"What do you recommend?"  
"Nothing made by the girl over there with the pink hair, even though she informs me it is '_fuchsia_' and I'm pretty sure that's the name of an alien race."  
Anna laughed, briefly glancing at the bartender in question. "Okay, well just surprise me and make sure it has as much alcohol as is safe for a human to consume."  
"Coming right up," he gave her a wink that almost made her melt and busied himself making her drink.  
"Is it company policy that you have to wink at every customer? Creepy doorman already did that…" Anna called, reminding herself that she was engaged. _Engaged_. No matter how cute the bartender was.

The drink was everything she could have needed in that moment, cheering her up and bringing her nervousness down. The girls who danced were perfect; they danced with confidence, sensuality and beauty.  
_ 'I could do that,'_ Anna thought to herself, though it may have been the alcohol talking for her. She was never sure, but she was determined to be on that stage. Turning back to the bar, she flashed the blonde bartender a smile.  
"I never caught your name…" She smiled, leaning towards him slightly.  
"Kristoff. What's it to you?"  
"I'm Anna," she held out her hand, leaving it there for a moment while Kristoff looked at it and carried on cleaning the bar. "So, Kristoff…who do I need to flirt with around here to get up on that stage?"  
"In the back, you'll find a woman called Elena, though, she doesn't swing that way and I didn't think you seemed the type either," he smiled, handing her a card. "Tell her Kristoff sent you."  
"Thank you. I totally owe you for this!" She giggled, before jumping off the stool and practically skipping towards the door leading backstage.


	2. Chapter 2

The walk backstage seemed to stretch for miles. Anna's heart pounded, almost in time with the music that was growing louder as she approached the area where the band were stationed. The redhead carried on walking, glancing at the band as she passed, though none of them spotted her. She was just another faceless person in the crowd.  
For now.

Anna drew closer, able to see a door with the words 'dancers and crew only' painted on. For a moment, she stood there simply looking at the door. This black door could hold the key to making a living in Los Angeles, to being on the way to being noticed. Anna reached out to open the door, her arm lingering in the air as she hesitated.  
'_Come on, Anna, this is the start of your new life_,' she took a deep breath, pushing the door open.

A wall of smoke mixed with the sweet, sickly scent of perfume greeted her, almost strong enough to give her a headache. From the thick scent in the air, Anna guessed that each dancer wore a different scent, but they contrasted grossly much like the dancers themselves. The dancers that pushed past her were blonde or brunette; tall and short and medium height; but they were all beautiful, radiating confidence in a way in which made the small-town girl long for the spotlight.

"Hey, you!" One of the girls called, a dark haired dancer who had more confidence than the rest of the girls out together. The level of confidence was almost intimidating and Anna approached warily.  
"Hey- hey me?" She asked cautiously.  
"Yes, you. Where's my drink, already?" The dancer demanded, rolling her heavily made-up eyes.  
"I- uh…" Anna stammered, completely shocked by the girl's harsh tone.  
"She doesn't work here, Miah," another girl chimed in, allowing Anna to slip away.

The backstage area was hectic; full of dancers rushing to be ready, lighting technicians and the sound manager all scrambling to get their jobs done. It was a scene that may have chased away any other girl from her town, girls who weren't used to the busy lives of the city - but to Anna, it was everything that she could ever hope for. Her eyes darted around the area like a small child discovering the wonders of DisneyWorld, realising that magic still dwells in the world. Anna was suddenly conscious of her childish braids, quickly letting her hair down. She wanted to make an impression, but she needed to look like a woman when she did so. Her hair now fell in small, orange waves cascading down her back. Anna ran a delicate hand through her hair, tousling the waves and smiling to herself, '_much better_.'

A much friendlier dancer pointed her in the direction of Elena's office, a small room that appeared to be more of a cupboard from the outside. The redhead knocked on the door nervously, hoping that she could shake off these nerves enough to convince the woman that she could do this - that she could dance up there with all of these other beautiful girls. Burlesque wasn't a career she'd ever considered, but now she longed for that spotlight, the adoring audience, to be beautiful.

The woman who answered the door was older than Anna first expected, though the girl hid her surprise well, hoping to make a good first impression.  
"Excuse me, are you Elena?" Anna asked, her voice only shaking slightly. The slight shake was the only tell Elena needed though, and Anna suspected that she wasn't going to get this job. She was inwardly cursing herself as the woman answered.  
"I am she," she nodded, not saying anything more or inviting Anna into her office. Looking over her again, it was clear that Elena was an ex-burlesque dancer. The woman standing in front of her had long, dark curls that fell loose over her shoulders; false eyelashes accompanied by dark eyeshadow that looked almost sexy on those other girls, but only highlighted the woman's desperate ache to be a dancer again; and red lipstick so bright Anna wasn't sure it was possible to make that shade.  
The woman sighed loudly, letting Anna know that she didn't have time for this encounter. "What is it that you wanted?"  
"I - I want to dance," she said the last half do sentence with some authority, straightening her shoulders despite stuttering towards the beginning of her sentence.  
"What experience do you have?" Elena asked, her tone almost bored. It seemed that she had this conversation much too often.  
"Well, no dance experience _specifically_," she chewed on her lip, quickly starting to explain before Elena shut the door in her face. "But I have a good amount of experience singing, and I _can_ dance, if you'd just let me show you…"  
"They don't come to here us sing," Elena countered sharply. "And we are not currently auditioning. Better luck next time, kid."

And with that, the door was shut in the redhead's face.

The rudeness displayed by this woman angered Anna, as she stormed back out to where she had met Kristoff. She snatched and empty tray off the bar and began clearing tables, if anything was going to happen, she was getting a job tonight. Once her tray was full, she carried it back to the bar, hoping her slight clumsiness wouldn't take over.  
"The guy at table nine wants his usual," she told the blonde bartender.  
He looked at her questioningly. "What are you doing, exactly?"  
"A better job than the girl with the pink hair over there," she nodded towards the girl they had discussed earlier on. "Look, I really need this job. If I'm not twice as good as that waitress, you can just send me away, but I know I can do this."  
After a pause, the blonde went to fetch the drink. "Show me what you're made of, red."


End file.
